Apr 2006

Okay... At least the other two days in Paris were good... hmm.... okay... La Musée de la Poste first, for all those non-frenchies, The museum of the post office. Hmmm. . . . cough. Then a pretty good resteraunt for lunch, and I stood up to the male teacher on the trip, because he was picking on this little year nine english streamer, IN FRENCH! : D it was good fun. Anyway then it was onto a museum about Louie Pasteur. Cough again. But then La Gallerie La Fayette! Well a shopping centre that just happened to have it in there. I bought awesome La Coste shoes there! Okay Saturday I went to ChateauDun, to visit my billet's god father and his family; We also went and saw the Chateau de Chateaudun, which was cool, and the churches and statues around town. Good fun. Sunday, we went to a (mum please don't die of envy) a Horse Spectacular, which was an equestrian show at the stables at the Chateau de Versialles, it was damn cool, they had fencing ON HORSEBACK, it was all very pretty and well caureographed, with nice music also. Then today, it was school, I will NEVER complain about my school again! The playground was tiny, the food eurgh... I shudder thinking about it... and everyone was staring at us and calling us les petites australiennes, and talking about us in french, which pretty much everyone could understand. I suppose it wasn't toooooo bad, but it wasn't exactly enjoyable, plus we left for school at 7:30am and didn't get back till almost 6, coz class ends at 5 fot them. Man, am I tired!

Okay first and foremost of course, the Eiffel tower! ha ha ha! I climbed to the top mwa ha ha!!! Well actually at first, I climbed to what i thought was the top, and then saw the stairs to the ACTUAL top, it was awesome. The we went on a Bateau Mouch (I think thats how to spell it) which is a tourist boat, which goes up and down the Seine, going past all the major sights, it was cool. Then og course it was:
AUX CHAMPS ELYSEES, AUX CHAMPS ELYSEES, AU SOLEIL OU SOUS LA PLUIE, A MIDI OU A MINUIT, IL Y A TOUT C'QUE VOUS VOULEZ, AUX CHAMPS ELYSEEs!!!!
Yay!!!!! Champs Elysées!!!! I bought a top from united colours of benetton, dont have a heart attack mum and dad it was under 20 euros. That was cool UNTIL we lost this guy from the English stream, after an hour and a half of looking, AND having called the police, he finally called and told us hhe'd gotten lost, ON A STRAIGHT STREET WITH A MASSIVE ARCH AT ONE END WHERE WE MET! Ah well, boy the teachers gave him one hell of a yelling at, youch. Then it was onto the metro, well it would've been if we hadn't lost THE SECOND OF THE THREE (i being the obviously more intelligent third) English streamers on the trip. We found her ten minutes later, but boy was everyone stressed. Finally it wasback to Versailles. Then today it was the Louvre, which was absolutely stunning, you can see it as a palace 500 odd years ago, its absolutely enourmous, and possible even more grand than Versailles, but it was beautiful, and the art work was beautiful, though we only had time to see the Italian and Spanish painters (including the Mona Lisa, which I got to up to the front with the children to see [there are some advantages to being short]), the egyptian wing, the Mesopatian, and some other bits and piece like the Venus de Milo and the crown of Louie the 15th, which I was happy to see though I would've liked to see more. Then we went to Notre Dame, which was cool, but we didn't get to climb the towers (billion hour wait) we saw inside the church which was cool. Then we walked around with stupid male teacher who I will not comment on as if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything, showing us random stupid things, and walking us till we left a trail of our feet around Paris. So i'm absolutely rejoicing to be sitting down. On to Paris again to tomorrow, Museum tour, but possible some shopping!

Okay.. the whole time I've been in france, every second shop has been a patisserie with a crazy, crazy massive display for easter. Easter Saturday I actually went to mass which was weird coz I'm not religious, but I figured it'd be cool to see. It was alright, very long and tiring. Then easter Sunday I slept, and slept and woke up very late, I had breakfast about an hour ebfreo lunch, and after lunch went to the palace of Versailles and saw the interior, which was just so ridicously grand. That evening e got our chocolate and then had dinner, with a chocolate cake for dessert. yesterday (Monday) We went to Parc Asterix which was pretty awesome. I go to Paris for the next three days which'll be cool.

Okay... now Normandy... first of all we went to Honfleur, it was very pretty, then we were SUPPOSED to visit Monet's garden in Giverny, but someone had done some great research, and it was closed, which sucked coz i was really pumped about seeing it and i wanted to by my mum a present from there okay then onto trouville which was cool, pretty similar to Honfleur, but cool all the same. We slept in Honfleur, the hotel was...ah... not the best quality but we had a nice traditonzl meal of pizza... ive eaten alot of Italian while ive been in france. Okay next day we went to a fromagerie and a cidrerie, they were cool, but i dont like cider, pity coz it was dirt cheap 3 euros a bottle, a BIG bottle. Then we went to the Museum in Caen, on world war two, it was very well done, but very sad. We then went to Omoha beach, which was very moving, and yet again very sad. We then visited le Point du Hoc, I'm not sure how to translate that, which was covered with craters, and bunkers. We then went on to Granville where we slept. The next day we visited the Mont st Michel, which involved lots of stairs, and lots of freezing toes. The guide had a funny accent and talked way too fast so I couldn't understand any of what she said. We returned to Granville, where we walked by the sea and through the old part of the town, and ended up getting lost and just going back to the hotel and doing our washing. Slept in Granville again. Okay that takes us to Saturday, and Loche... hmm... if you dont have anything nice to day dont say anything at all.... no thats not entirely true, it did have a nice cathedrale and a nice little castle with alot of history behind it. Sunday we went back to Versailles but stopped by the Chateau de Chambord, which was cool, but once you've seen the chateau de Versailles, nothing is really spectacular.

Okay that takes us to Alsace, I loved Alsace, not as much as versailles, but it really grew on me. The food is a mix between German and French, which is cool, the costumes, with these awesome massive hats!!! I got to see some Alsacian dancers, in authentic costumes, dancing authentic Alsacion dances. It was awesome. In Alsace I stayed in Obernai with my billets, and got to see Strasbourg, Colmar, Riquewihr, Ribeauville and a couple of the other smaller towns which ill have to try and find out the names of. I also saw the Chateau de Hauts-Koenigsbourg and the Mont St Odile, which was very nice, espeically the chapel of tears and the chapel of angels. Saw some other churches, which i also forget the names of, one which was the only example of Austrian Baroque in France, or so the sign said, it was very grand, and very pretty. I think there must be more churches than people in France, because everywhere you turn theres a church or a chapel of some sort. Back in Versailles now, the weather has been interesting fot an Australian, theres some sort of water thing falling out of the sky, something we dont have in australia, well not enough.

Okay... now Normandy... first of all we went to Honfleur, it was very pretty, then we were SUPPOSED to visit Monet's garden in Giverny, but someone had done some great research, and it was closed, which sucked coz i was really pumped about seeing it and i wanted to by my mum a present from there okay then onto trouville which was cool, pretty similar to Honfleur, but cool all the same. We slept in Honfleur, the hotel was...ah... not the best quality but we had a nice traditonzl meal of pizza... ive eaten alot of Italian while ive been in france. Okay next day we went to a fromagerie and a cidrerie, they were cool, but i dont like cider, pity coz it was dirt cheap 3 euros a bottle, a BIG bottle. Then we went to the Museum in Caen, on world war two, it was very well done, but very sad. We then went to Omoha beach, which was very moving, and yet again very sad. We then visited le Point du Hoc, I'm not sure how to translate that, which was covered with craters, and bunkers. We then went on to Granville where we slept. The next day we visited the Mont st Michel, which involved lots of stairs, and lots of freezing toes. The guide had a funny accent and talked way too fast so I couldn't understand any of what she said. We returned to Granville, where we walked by the sea and through the old part of the town, and ended up getting lost and just going back to the hotel and doing our washing. Slept in Granville again. Okay that takes us to Saturday, and Loche... hmm... if you dont have anything nice to day dont say anything at all.... no thats not entirely true, it did have a nice cathedrale and a nice little castle with alot of history behind it. Sunday we went back to Versailles but stopped by the Chateau de Chambord, which was cool, but once you've seen the chateau de Versailles, nothing is really spectacular.

Okay that takes us to Alsace, I loved Alsace, not as much as versailles, but it really grew on me. The food is a mix between German and French, which is cool, the costumes, with these awesome massive hats!!! I got to see some Alsacian dancers, in authentic costumes, dancing authentic Alsacion dances. It was awesome. In Alsace I stayed in Obernai with my billets, and got to see Strasbourg, Colmar, Riquewihr, Ribeauville and a couple of the other smaller towns which ill have to try and find out the names of. I also saw the Chateau de Hauts-Koenigsbourg and the Mont St Odile, which was very nice, espeically the chapel of tears and the chapel of angels. Saw some other churches, which i also forget the names of, one which was the only example of Austrian Baroque in France, or so the sign said, it was very grand, and very pretty. I think there must be more churches than people in France, because everywhere you turn theres a church or a chapel of some sort. Back in Versailles now, the weather has been interesting fot an Australian, theres some sort of water thing falling out of the sky, something we dont have in australia, well not enough.